Lotto 3229 - A215 Impressionismo e arte moderna - venerdì, 28. novembre 2025, 16h30
REMBRANDT BUGATTI
(Milan 1885–1916 Paris)
Cerf en marche. ca. 1906.
Bronze, black patina. Cast before 1934.
Signed and numbered under the plinth: R. Bugatti / (6).
With the foundry stamp: CIRE PERDUE A.-A. HÉBRARD.
50 × 51 × 15 cm.
With the foundry stamp: CIRE PERDUE A.-A. HÉBRARD.
50 × 51 × 15 cm.
Certificate:
Provenance:
- Swiss private ownership, in one family for several generations.
Literature:
- Mary Harvey: The bronzes of Rembrandt Bugatti. An illustrated catalogue and biography, London 1979, p. 58, no. 71 (with ill. other cast).
- Jacques Chalom Des Cordes und Véronique Fromanger: Rembrandt Bugatti. Catalogue raisonné, Paris 1987, p. 136 (with ill. other cast; Title: "Grand cerf passant").
Rembrandt Bugatti was born in Milan and grew up in an intellectual and artistic environment. His uncle was Giovanni Segantini, a leading representative of Symbolism, and his older brother was the famous automobile designer and founder of the Bugatti brand. The young Rembrandt, however, was drawn to sculpture from an early age.
While living in Paris and Antwerp, he spent a great deal of time in zoological gardens. There, he closely observed the exotic animals and then modeled his sculptures directly on site. The sensitive loner loved animals: camels and leopards, but also native creatures such as deer and donkeys, deeply moved him. He sculpted animals because people could not offer him such a wealth of forms.
Unlike many animaliers (sculptors who specialize in animals), Bugatti did not dissect his subjects, but rather lovingly fed them, talked to them, and experienced their characters. In 1908, he even used two live antelopes as models in his studio – on loan from the Antwerp Zoo.
This closeness is reflected in his work: the deer depicted here does not appear as a symbol or a decorative motif, but as a living being with a powerful presence. The position of the head, the movement, the tension in the legs – all of this emphasizes the individual rather than the type.
The two leopards – presumably a male approaching the female from behind – also appear as living individuals with souls and feelings, whose dignity and elegance are captured in bronze (Lot 3230).
The outbreak of war deeply affected the already sensitive artist. After the occupation of Antwerp in 1914, the zoo was closed and used as a military hospital; many of the animals he knew disappeared. He could not bear the cruelty of the war, and so Rembrandt Bugatti ended his life in 1916.
While living in Paris and Antwerp, he spent a great deal of time in zoological gardens. There, he closely observed the exotic animals and then modeled his sculptures directly on site. The sensitive loner loved animals: camels and leopards, but also native creatures such as deer and donkeys, deeply moved him. He sculpted animals because people could not offer him such a wealth of forms.
Unlike many animaliers (sculptors who specialize in animals), Bugatti did not dissect his subjects, but rather lovingly fed them, talked to them, and experienced their characters. In 1908, he even used two live antelopes as models in his studio – on loan from the Antwerp Zoo.
This closeness is reflected in his work: the deer depicted here does not appear as a symbol or a decorative motif, but as a living being with a powerful presence. The position of the head, the movement, the tension in the legs – all of this emphasizes the individual rather than the type.
The two leopards – presumably a male approaching the female from behind – also appear as living individuals with souls and feelings, whose dignity and elegance are captured in bronze (Lot 3230).
The outbreak of war deeply affected the already sensitive artist. After the occupation of Antwerp in 1914, the zoo was closed and used as a military hospital; many of the animals he knew disappeared. He could not bear the cruelty of the war, and so Rembrandt Bugatti ended his life in 1916.
CHF 100 000 / 150 000 | (€ 103 090 / 154 640)
Venduto per CHF 212 500 (incl. premio)
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